


Something Rotten in the State of Denmark

by cynicalfairyking



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: M/M, historical fiction - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-01
Updated: 2018-02-01
Packaged: 2019-03-12 04:52:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13540071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cynicalfairyking/pseuds/cynicalfairyking
Summary: God Damn the Flødeskumsfronten;  God Damn the World





	Something Rotten in the State of Denmark

**Author's Note:**

> This was a secret santa for Kirsten, [aphneddy](http://aphsvve.tumblr.com) circa 2014, who had asked for historical settings/densu. I’m a tad bit obsessed with the danish resistance, so voila.

Life as a fisherman’s son really wasn’t that bad, Mathias would have to admit.  Sure he had to wake up early in the morning to help his father on the boat and he didn’t have all that much time to laze around København between helping his family and his studies, but Mathias loved the sea; the mist spraying on his face, the smell of the salt tinged water, the rhythm of the waves, Mathias could get lost in it all, lost in the beauty that was the sea — lost at sea.  There were also those times his father would dock at Malmö to meet with his clients and Mathias would be free to explore the foreign city for hours on end. 

The first time he had met Berwald he had been eight or so, completely lost, and unable to speak a word of Swedish.  Berwald, or Berri as he had been affectionately dubbed by none other than Mathias himself, had been the only one to acknowledge him as he rambled to people in rapid Danish, which then bleed into German as it dawned on him that he wasn’t in Denmark anymore.  Berri had approached him and asked him “kann ich Ihnen helfen?”1.  To a young Mathias this glasses adorned Swede was an angel, and without a care in the world Mathias grinned wildly and pulled him into an incredibly tight hug before prattling to him rapidly in German and forcing him to lead Mathias around the city.  Why Berwald had put up with him he had no idea, but Berri hand and the rest as they said was history. 

Nowadays things were more complicated.  Whilst not particularly oppressive towards their “Model State” the Germans had marched into Denmark, occupying it within weeks, and as far as Mathias was concerned it was only a matter of time before it was Schleswig-Holstein2 all over again; only without the two wars and the Danish victory.  He was sure that with Sweden’s insistence on neutrality, he would soon enough no longer even have the freedom of the sea.  Determined to exercise his current freedom Mathias stared blankly across the sound towards the city he called home, his legs dangling over the edge of the pier, his thoughts drifting like a ship traversing the waves.  The knock of footsteps behind him alerted him to the presence of another; on with a familiar gate.  “Hej, Berri.”

“Ja?”

Mathias hesitated, not quite sure how to phrase his doubts and pressing nostalgia.  “Do you ever miss the past?”

“What do you mean exactly?”

“Like…, do you ever long for those days when everything was just so simple?”

Berwald laughed, a rumbling noise that bubbled up his throat in joyous mirth.  “Nothing is ever simple with you Mathias.”  The Swede mocked, plopping down next to Mathias.

“Hey!” Mathias shoved Berwald lightly in the shoulder as a response.  “But seriously?  Humor me.  Everything has just gotten so messy lately.”

“What?  Because your family wouldn’t let you join the military?”

“No one is going to invade my country without going through me first.”  It was a rather ironic proclamation given the current state of Denmark, but the the patriot sentiment was endearing and very characteristic of Mathias.

“Hm…”  was the noncommittal response that Berri seemed to feel like granting him today.

Mathias found his voice lowering of its own accord.  “Berri.  I want to join the resistance.”  His statement was met with a blank quizzical stare.  “They’ve been dropping leaflets from the sky, and I’ve heard some talk of Bohr supporting them.3”  Never let Mathias’s obsession with the physicist be question.  Although his family wasn’t able to send him to the University, he made it his business to keep up with the state of modern physics.

“You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“Ja,” came the reply.

“Fine.”  Mathias had been expecting more of a fight.  Berri had always been the rational one among them, and not joining illegal resistance movements probably fell into the category of common rational neutral Swedish sense.  “But.. I’m going to join with you.”

Hvad!?  “Your not even Danish.  How do you plan on joining the _Danish_ resistance.”

“You’re going to need contact, and if it becomes anything like Poland you’re going to need people to help you smuggle.  Just accept the help.”  Well he supposed that was one thing neutral countries were good for.

He wrapped his arms tightly around around Berwald, a trickle of moisture running down his check.  “I could so kiss you right now.”

“Then do.”

Mathias’s body froze.  _For satan!_ How was he supposed to respond to that?  Years of hiding his attraction to men 4, did not an appropriate reaction make.  Why the hell was Berwald saying this now of all times?  Were they more alike they he knew?  He dazed mind let out a “hvad?” before he could could think about the implications of such a response.

Now it was Berwald who looked like a deer in headlights.  He cringed in on himself in fear, wary eyes pleading with Mathias.  “Sorry.  Forget I ever said…” He began rambling incomprehensibly and Mathias could only wonder had possibly happened to his friend to cause him to react this way.

He slung one arm over Berwald’s shoulder in the most comforting manner he could, and used the other to prop Berwald’s face to look him in the eyes.  “Berri.  Stop.”  The silence that followed was suffocating, as if Berwald had forgotten how to breathe.  “I meant it.  Seriously.”  _Please don’t hate me.  Please don’t hate me._ Difficult as it might be to accept, he could totally understand if Berri didn’t want to be his friend after this.

The relief flooded on Berri’s face, and Mathias could hear a faint “Thank God” sighed.  Berwald tackled him into a hug, squeezing the daylights out of him in the most comforting way Mathias could ever imagine.  “I love you, you idiot Dane.  I’ve loved you forever, I just never thought…”

“Yeah well neither did I, and I love you too you stupid Swede.  Now lets go win back my country.”  His voice ghosted across Berri lips, as Mathias pulled him down for a kiss.

 

**Author's Note:**

> 1) German: can I help you?
> 
> 2) The Schleswig-Holstein war were fought between Denmark and Prussia over, the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein (who could have guessed?).  Denmark won the first war (in 1852) keeping the land, however when Bismarck "revisited the issue" (in 1864) Denmark lost control of the territories.  One of the things Prussia did in the territories was forbid the raising of the Danish flag, which prompted the “famous”, if you read satw, [Danish protest pig](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danish_Protest_Pig) to be breed.
> 
> 3) While Bohr clearly share the same patriotic sentiment as many of those in the Danish Resistance and had contacts in it that alerted him of the Nazis plans to arrest him, there is no evidence to suggest that he was instrumental in its foundation.  That is not to understate Bohr’s importance in Denmark’s response to the German occupation and WWII, which I maybe have an essay on if you really want to know more.
> 
> 4) I headcanon Den as bisexual or pansexual, although both would have been dangerous to present openly in this time, so Mathias has learned to suppresses that side of him.  Sweden on the other hand is gay, but simply isn’t vocal about it.


End file.
